False Advertising: Home Builder Renderings vs. Reality

“Lo Ball Jones” dropped a link in the Saturday Link Roundup to a local homebuilder website that caught my attention for just how ridiculous the rendered images of their homes are.

With a little help from the magic of Google Maps’ 45° view, I thought it would be fun to take a look at a few comparisons between what various builders claim their homes will look like sitting finished on their lot and what they actually look like. Note the lush greenery, long drive/walkways, huge setbacks, tall trees, and large lots shown in all of the renderings versus what the homes look like in reality.

Without further ado, I present the following home builder renderings vs. reality.

Lennar Homes

Rendering

Lennar Homes: Rendering

Reality

Lennar Homes: Reality

Centex

Rendering

Centex: Rendering

Reality

Centex: Reality

Bennett Homes

Rendering

Bennett Homes: Rendering

Reality

Bennett Homes: Reality

These are just a few random examples I was able to find. The practice is definitely not limited to these three builders. And of course, I’m sure they all cover themselves legally with fine-print disclaimers like this one on the Centex site:

This rendering is for illustrative purposes only and represents an artist concept of a model of this home and may not represent the home that would be available for purchase at the purchase price shown.

Still though, it seems like a highly deceptive practice to me. Of course, misleading advertising seems to be par for the course when it comes to home builders, so I’m certainly not surprised.

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About The Tim

Tim Ellis is the founder of Seattle Bubble. His background in engineering and computer / internet technology, a fondness of data-based analysis of problems, and an addiction to spreadsheets all influence his perspective on the Seattle-area real estate market. Tim also hosts the weekly improv comedy sci-fi podcast Dispatches from the Multiverse.